Power prices in Europe continue to smash records, intensifying the region's energy crisis and fanning fears about access to electricity and heating as the weather begins to cool.
①smash
英 [smæʃ] 美 [smæʃ]
v.粉碎;打破
②fan
英 [fæn] 美 [fæn]
vt.扇(风);扇，吹(使火更旺);煽起;激起
German power prices for next year, which are considered Europe's benchmark, briefly jumped above €1,000 ($999.80) per megawatt hour on Monday before falling back to €840 ($839.69) per megawatt hour.
benchmark
英 [ˈbentʃmɑːk] 美 [ˈbentʃmɑːrk]
n.基准
"This is not normal at all. It's incredibly volatile," said Fabian Rønningen, a senior analyst at Rystad Energy. "These prices are reaching levels now that we thought we would never see."
volatile
英 [ˈvɒlətaɪl] 美 [ˈvɑːlətl]
adj.不稳定的;易变的;急剧波动的
Prices have jumped since Russia's Gazprom announced that it would shut down the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline for three days starting Wednesday to perform maintenance work, reigniting fears that Moscow could completely shut off gas to Europe, which is racing to stockpile supplies ahead of the winter.
When the crucial pipeline went offline for repairs for 10 days in July, many policymakers feared it wouldn't come back. When Russia did restart operations, flows were significantly reduced.
France's nuclear sector, which provides about 70% of the country's electricity, is also struggling with lower output, pushing up the country's energy prices.
The Czech Republic announced Monday that it would convene an emergency meeting of Europe's energy ministers in Brussels next week as the region hunts for solutions.
convene
英 [kənˈviːn] 美 [kənˈviːn]
v.召开;召集(正式会议);(为正式会议而)聚集;集合
Businesses are concerned they may have to periodically halt operations over the winter if power is in short supply, while households could struggle to pay soaring heating bills. The fallout could trigger a deep recession.
There was some reason for optimism on Monday. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the country's gas inventories were filling up, and the country won't have to pay the high prices currently commanded by the market.
Germany's gas storage facilities are nearly 83% full and will reach the 85% threshold in early September, according to Habeck.
threshold
英 [ˈθreʃhəʊld] 美 [ˈθreʃhoʊld]
n.阈值
But huge uncertainty lingers. High power prices for next year indicate that traders don't think the crisis will be contained in the coming months, according to Rønningen.
linger
英 [ˈlɪŋɡə(r)] 美 [ˈlɪŋɡər]
vi.徘徊;继续存留
Uniper, Germany's largest importer of natural gas, said Monday it would need more help from the government, asking for an additional €4 billion ($4 billion). The company said it's low on cash due to the shortfall in Russian exports, which is forcing it to pay sky-high market prices to fill gaps in supply.
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欧洲的电价继续打破纪录，加剧了能源危机。随着天气开始降温，人们对电力和供暖更加担忧。
被视为欧洲基准的德国，明年的电价在周一短暂跃升至每兆瓦时1000欧元（合999.80美元），随后回落至每兆瓦时840欧元（合839.69美元）。
Rystad Energy的高级分析师Fabian Rønningen说，“这一点都不正常，它非常不稳定，电价正超出我们的预期。”
由于维护工作，俄罗斯天然气工业股份公司（Gazprom）宣布，将从周三起关闭三天北溪1号天然气管道。这引发了人们对莫斯科可能完全切断向欧洲天然气供应的担忧。欧洲正竞相在冬季前储备天然气。
当这条重要的管道在7月进行为期10天的断气维修时，许多决策者担心它不会被重新启用。当俄罗斯重新启动时，供气量大幅减少。
由于产量下降，法国核能部门推高了本国的能源价格。他们为法国提供了70%的电力。
捷克共和国周一宣布，下周将在布鲁塞尔召开欧洲能源部长紧急会议，该地区正在寻求解决方案。
企业担心，如果电力供应不足，他们可能不得不在冬季定期停止运营。而家庭方面可能难以支付飙升的取暖费用。其后果可能引起严重的经济衰退。
周一也有好消息传来。德国经济部长罗伯特·哈贝克（Robert Habeck）表示，德国的天然气库存正在填满，他们将不需要购买由市场操作带来的高价天然气。
根据哈贝克的数据，德国的天然气储存设施已接近83%，将在9月初达到85%的阈值。
但巨大的不确定性依然存在。罗宁根表示，明年的高电价表明，交易员不认为危机会在未来几个月得到遏制。
德国最大的天然气进口公司Uniper周一表示需要政府提供额外40亿欧元（40亿美元）的帮助。该公司表示，由于俄罗斯的出口短缺迫使其支付极高的市场价格来填补供应缺口，这导致了其出现了现金短缺的情况。
翻译：老戴
编辑：老张
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